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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22910347">Jaci's Drabble Collection (Fairy Tail Edition)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/JaciSerigala/pseuds/JaciSerigala'>JaciSerigala</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fairy Tail</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Aged-Up Character(s), Angst, Discrimination, Domestic Fluff, Drabble Collection, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, F/M, Family, Fluff, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Inspired by Music, M/M, Multi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 14:54:19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,430</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22910347</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/JaciSerigala/pseuds/JaciSerigala</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A non-consistent collection of drabbles about Fairy Tail</p><p>Latest Updates:<br/>- Ch. 20: Erza, Gray &amp; Mira + Paragon</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Erza Scarlet/Mirajane Strauss, Gray Fullbuster &amp; Erza Scarlet &amp; Mirajane Strauss, Gray Fullbuster &amp; Ultear Milkovich, Gray Fullbuster/Erza Scarlet, Gray Fullbuster/Lucy Heartfilia, Jellal Fernandes/Gray Fullbuster, Natsu Dragneel/Gray Fullbuster, Rogue Cheney/Sting Eucliffe, Team Natsu - Relationship, Yukino Aguria/Rogue Cheney</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Erza x Gray - Clothes</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Days like this had always been rare, given their chosen occupation, they were always moving - fighting or protecting innocents - so days when they could slow down, when a noise louder than a whisper would be an insult were infrequent at best. But Erza would be lying if she said that these weren't some of her favourite moments. When she and Gray could just stop and breathe in the familiarity of each other, in their little cottage. Gray had always been a minimalist, and that habit had long since gotten under Erza's skin in every room, aside from the kitchen. Not that Gray was allowed in the kitchen, anyway. Erza really shouldn't be, either, but it made her happy, so who was Gray to complain when she burned pasta at least once a week?</p>
<p>Their soft breaths were plenty loud enough to convey everything they needed to say, and everything that didn't need to be voiced. The 'i love you's and 'thank you's were loud enough for them to feel, as Gray sipped his coffee, completely engrossed in his book. His lover was curled up next to him, snoozing beneath her blanket and his sweater. They had never been a particularly touchy couple, but when Erza wore his jumpers either because he had dropped them or because she was cold, and he was a gentleman no matter what Lucy thought, it was just as comforting of a promise as the verbal alternative. </p>
<p>There was always something in how peaceful Gray looked when he lost himself in a novel, or how young Erza looked when she drifted off to sleep, something that they always treasured. But on days like this, those moments didn't need to be treasured, they were allowed to just be and neither could think of a deeper 'i love you' than that.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Gray x Natsu - Beautiful</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Gray was a universe of beautiful, from his kitten-soft hair to his rough but still soft skin. Natsu couldn't think of anything prettier than when Gray was smiling like nothing had ever gone wrong, and he never expected to be proven wrong.</p>
<p>Gray had always been pretty, from the moment he stepped into the guild, he knew that Gray was special, it was why he had punched him that first time. Because he was pretty and Natsu didn't understand why Gray made his heart feel so much warmer. And even after all these years, all these fights with demons that lived both in and outside his mind, Gray's hands were still gentle. They had killed and injured and protected and saved and damaged, but they were still soft enough to be comforting, still delicate enough to be broken, still the perfect fit for Natsu's hands.</p>
<p>Gray was beautiful no matter how you looked at him, from the way his hair curled and frizzed when he first woke up from a particularly restless night, to the way his eyes fluttered when he was dreaming, to the way his voice whispered Natsu's name like it was the only word he knew. Natsu had no clue how he had been lucky enough to capture someone who shone brighter than the sun when he smiled, but he had.</p>
<p>But it was the moment when he saw Gray waiting at the altar, on their happiest day, when Gray transcended what Natsu thought was possible for someone to shine. His eyes were teary, filled with kaleidoscopes of their pasts - the good, the bad, the tragic and the stunning. He whispered his vows like they would shatter if anyone else heard them. His hands shook with anticipation and excitement. And as they stood at the top of the hill, stared into each other's eyes, and kissed for the hundredth time, Natsu felt himself falling in love like it was the first time, all over again.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Erza x Mira - Dancing</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Mira was always moving to some unknown rhythm in her head. She was always singing or dancing or humming, she was this ball of energy as bright as the fairy lights she loved so much. Erza now expected to come home to Mira dancing about in their living room, making a ballroom floor on the carpet, with her eyes closed as her dream land was tucked away in her mind. It made Erza fall a little deeper in love, every time, without fail. She always wished that she could watch Mira dance forever, but Mira always stopped her dancing when she noticed Erza watching.</p><p>Today, was different though, Erza could feel it. Mira was dancing as usual, with her eyes closed, but when she opened them to look at Erza, her smile grew and she danced over. Taking Erza by the hands, she led her into the living room. Mira had invited her to dance many times before, and normally Erza refused, because she didn't want to disrupt the perfection of Mira's joy, but there was something in Mira's eyes that made it hard to refuse.</p><p>"Won't you come see about me?" Mira whispered, as she led Erza around, singing and watching Erza like she was the only person in the world. "I'll be alone... dancing, you know it, Baby." She winked and twirled around Erza, stealing a kiss, whilst Erza was still trying to figure out what was happening.</p><p>"Tell me your troubles and doubts, giving me everything, inside and out and..." Mira breathed, as she tugged Erza closer, spinning her around. "Love's strange... so real in the dark..." Erza felt weightless, here in Mira's arms. "Think of the tender things, that we were working on."</p><p>"Slow change may pull us apart, but when the light gets into your heart, Baby..." Mira always added that 'but' into the lyrics, she couldn't help herself, and if the world could see Mira now, Erza was convinced no one would ever correct her. She was such a beautiful person, her eyes were mature and gentle, but her smile remained as happy and warm as ever, and Erza would give anything to protect that. To protect her.</p><p>"Don't you... forget about me..." Erza whispered, leaning her forehead against Mira, whilst her partner slowed down and pressed in closer, their movements - Erza's uncertain ones and Mira's flowing ones - slowed down into something like a waltz. Mira's eyes fluttered closed, as if nothing could ever be more perfect than here in this moment.</p><p>"As you walk on by... will you call my name...?" Mira murmured.</p><p>"Always, Mira..." Erza breathed, and Mira gave her another blinding smile.</p><p> </p><p>"Are... are you breaking up with me?" Erza asked, suddenly nervous as she drank the lyrics in.</p><p>"What?! Heavens no, Erza," And as like all the times before, Erza felt breathless as Mira tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. What Mira saw in her to give her such a look, Erza didn't think she'd ever find out. "I could never forget you, Love... you don't need to worry about that, I promise."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Everyone thank @icemakestars for encouraging me to post this (and the entire book as a whole)!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Gray x Jellal - First</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“he was the first to understand.”</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Glancing back at the mages who had tried so hard to secure his freedom, but inevitably lost against the nature of fate. His stained eyes gazed over them, unsure how to react, with the massive gaps in his memory. He didn’t know how to react to anything, but still, as if on instinct, his eyes lingered over two people. The red haired girl, she had been crying earlier, and she clearly had a connection with whoever’s face he now wore, but that connection was now reaching out without the hope of something else reaching back. And then, his eyes gazed over the dark haired boy, and something seemed to shift, to click, in the air. His eyes were dark, but they were also… he couldn’t put his finger on the word… but something in his eyes whispered and something akin to knowing twanged in the air, before falling away and thinning into nothing once more, as he climbed the ramp into the container.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>As a writer, your own worst critic is yourself. This could not be more true for me, so whilst I try and figure out what I'm doing with my writing, most of my oneshots will be put here.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Gray x Jellal - Kiss</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“what good is a kiss for someone with no soul?”</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was the dead of night when he first tried to lean in, their lips meeting for just a heart-beat, before the older of the two pulled away. His gaze slipped from the raven’s frozen eyes, refusing to acknowledge the longing in them that he also felt.</p><p>“W-what?” Gray stammered, looking somewhere between mortified confusion and heartache that threatened to take hold. Shaking his head, silently, the raven sighed and looked away also, but neither made a move to widen the distance between them, and their intertwined fingers slipped closer. But he didn’t go in for another kiss, instead, he backed down, with anguish singing in the younger’s eyes, and both of their hearts. “I- I…”</p><p>“Enough.”</p><p>The night fell silent again.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Erza x Gray - Wolf</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“there was a girl and there was a wolf.”</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>And he loved both. He saw the wolf in her armour, that protected and attacked and was born out of fear and the desperation to survive until tomorrow. He saw how it struck out and snarled and bared it’s teeth against the world, stuck on the outside of her heart and relentlessly protecting what laid within. And sometimes, Gray thought that he was the only one who saw what that ferocity was protecting. And it was a little girl, abandoned. It was as if the tear stains were there for only him to see, and once he spotted them, he couldn’t pretend that they weren’t there. Maybe that was why he looked at her so differently. Most people saw the monster, but for some reason, Gray could see the abyss in her that manifested itself in anger and outward appearances that only breathed of who she really was.</p><p>And the more he looked, the more he realised, that yes, this special position of his had birthed something that no monster or wolf could touch. It was love. For both the person she showed the world, and the one that she didn’t want anyone to see, and he couldn’t help but.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Man am I glad that these drabbles are on the internet for the entire world to see! :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Gray x Jellal - Final</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“when the finale comes, stay a little longer.”</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The sun was many hours away, as the early morning crept towards daytime, and darkness shrouded the forest, but still, the pair were more than awake, as they sat a clearing and a half away from the rest of their party. They were completely lost in each other.</p>
<p>Jellal was sat on the floor, with his face buried into the other’s stomach, his arms curled around Gray’s back with the desperation of a child clinging to its parent. Gray didn’t mind at all, if the elder would cause bruises, it was just another wound on his growing list. And anyway, he had more important things to focus on. Carding a hand through Jellal’s hair, his other arm curled around his shoulders, tense, strained but oh, so, loving. Hiding his face in the bluenette’s hair, he blocked out everything except for the man in his arms.</p>
<p>There were so many things for them to say,</p>
<p>Don’t go,</p>
<p>Good luck,</p>
<p>Come home.</p>
<p>But nothing would come out, as they clung to each other, wishing these few hours would stretch into an eternity, that the final, approaching battle couldn’t touch.</p>
<p>Hours later, when the sun rose and they were forced apart, Jellal wished that they didn’t have to, and it took all of his strength to not break down when Gray walked away with a tired smile.</p>
<p>“don’t worry… i’ve got something to come back for.”</p>
<p>If only he kept his promise.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Erza x Gray - Telepathic</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“you had me under spell right from the start.”</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Song: Telepathic - STARSET</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was as if he was her marionette, as if she could control his thoughts, as if she had found his missing heart and was now blackmailing him with it. He was being suspended somewhere in her freezing eyes, but strangely enough… he didn’t mind it, at all. There wasn’t anyone else who he would prefer to be entranced by.</p>
<p>She was something so massive that he could never touch, but still, she led him through the darkness, like a brand new solar system, she was the sun, and he was held captive as a simple moon in her brilliant radiance.</p>
<p>From the moment they met, I think he knew somewhere deep down that she was important, and the reason transcended Cana’s prediction multiple times over. Though, he didn’t realise her significance until a fortnight later, when he found her crying. That was when he fell. That was when she took control. That was when he gave in.</p>
<p>He was never sure whether or not she knew the power that she held over him, as he never had the courage to come up to her and tell her that she was now the owner of his heart. But either way, she had entirely eclipsed him, and the young ice mage could only hope and wait to see if she would break his heart.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Gray & Ultear - The Wolf</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“everyone knows I am going to hell, and if it’s true, i’ll go there with you.”</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Song: The Wolf - Phildel</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>She hated him. He had taken everything away from her, even her place in her mother’s heart. How, didn’t matter. He, they, had replaced her and as she stood mere meters away from her once loving mother, all she could think was… unforgivable. How could she? How could he? How dare he take her place? He already had his mother, so why in the world would he take hers too? Unforgivable. He had taken something indescribably precious, and he would pay. She would become a villain, she would take away his irreplaceable.</p>
<p>She knew he was here on the island, but her acting skills had greatly improved since that day when he had taken it all. So as she cornered him again, as he asked about her mother, that word echoed in her mind. She loathed this man. He would never be her family. Not after he had taken her mother away. He didn’t deserve family. He didn’t deserve forgiveness. He didn’t deserve love. So she would take every ounce of family, forgiveness, love that he thought he had and she would show him what he truly deserved.</p>
<p>Iced Shell.</p>
<p>That was the plan’s name.</p>
<p>As they fought, she took a smug satisfaction at every pained noise he made. She felt that hatred deep inside feeding away at every glint of sadness, grief and pain that entered his eyes. That was what he deserved. Agony. And that was what she was going to paint his world with.</p>
<p>She wasn’t a perfect person, but if she could drag this man into hell, then she would be perfectly happy to descend alongside him.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I don't hate all my earlier work, just some of it, but this is one that I'm actually neutral towards!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Gray x Jellal - Numb</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“the numbest moment someone can experience is being forced to sit back and watch.”</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Gray watched with his arms wrapped around himself, in the semblance and the wish for a hug. He watched with a sick feeling in his stomach, as his lover walked down the street, away from the guild. Away from him. With no definitive answer as to when he would be back.</p>
<p>The team stood around him, before one by one, they went back inside, until it was only him and Erza, looking longingly after their friend, as he left this half of his life behind. Erza probably said something, but Gray wasn’t listening, as he stared down the now empty street, wishing for Jellal to come back.</p>
<p>Eventually, she went inside too, leaving Gray to stand outside the door, numbness and emptiness eating away at his heart, the return becoming more painful, each time Jellal left him again.</p>
<p>Trudging home, he sat on the sofa, unable to face his empty bed, dreaming of the day when Jellal wouldn’t leave him anymore.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Gray x Jellal - Broken</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“there is warmth in their shards.”</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>They were broken, yes, but they weren’t unfixeable. Maybe some scars were. Maybe some wounds ran a couple miles too deep. Maybe some tears couldn’t be ceased. But, when they lay in silence, when their eyes whispered all the words their hearts held for the other, when they loved every crack the other carried, the pain fell away, if just for a moment.</p>
<p>They loved.</p>
<p>They loved.</p>
<p>Oh, God, they loved so much that they were scared to stop.</p>
<p>As if they were a mirror to their own scars. As if they could burn away all the tear stains if they just loved enough. </p>
<p>Some might say their love was unhealthy.</p>
<p>But it was strength.</p>
<p>And some days, it was the only strength they had.</p>
<p>They were broken, and love couldn’t be an adhesive for every piece of them that had been shattered, but if they just stuck together and loved… maybe they would be able to get through tomorrow alive.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Gray x Jellal - Rules</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“they were imprisoned by their scars and past.”</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>They had established rules from the get go. Neither of them were perfect, and they had more scars and wounds and had cried more tears than anyone would ever know, so they needed the boundaries to keep themselves safe from the spiky pit that love was known to be. Gray knew this, but sometimes, he wished that he could break these rules, as he laid awake, next to the sleeping bluenette.</p>
<p>First, listening.</p>
<p>They were broken men. They had been cut and burned and torn down ever since they were children, and their wounds and fears ran deeper than their blood. Deeper than their love, Gray sometimes thought. He appreciated this rule, as it never pushed or took anything from him, it only gave him a safety net to fall back on, when they were hurting. If only they actually used it. Gray had so much to say, so much to cry and rage about, so much pain to let go of, so much love to express. But, just like Jellal, he had grown used to internalizing thoughts and feelings, dealing with them alone, regardless of whether they actually could or not. They were used to the world’s disinterest, and neither could completely believe in the other.</p>
<p>Second, no ‘I love you’s.</p>
<p>Gray didn’t mind this rule too much, as he had always been able to communicate so much more through gestures, rather than through words. But despite the enforcement, Gray was 90% sure in what he felt for his partner, and though he could still show that through his actions, sometimes, he wanted to tell Jellal that this was real.</p>
<p>“i do. i really do.” He whispered, as he pressed his forehead into the older’s collarbone, he stared at nothing in particular, as his hands rested weakly on Jellal’s sides, no strength in him.</p>
<p>And finally, no kissing.</p>
<p>It was no secret that Jellal had a massive guilt complex, and as such, he didn’t believe that he deserved a relationship with someone as 'good’ as Gray apparently was. Gray was no stranger to self-loathing, either, but he wished that he could kiss away the demons that haunted his partner, regardless of how hypocritical he was. He wished that he could find the courage and right situation to scoop Jellal up into his arms and kiss him until he couldn’t breathe. But Jellal never let their lips linger together for longer than a second, and Gray wanted those lips. Kisses were meant to heal, after all.</p>
<p>Staring sombrely at the elder mage, he reached out and ghosted his fingers over his lips, almost tempted to kiss them whilst he had the chance. But Jellal had stopped him from breaking that barrier so many times, that he didn’t have the courage to push that boundary, even when he was asleep. Sighing dejectedly, Gray settled for leaning in to press his lips to the other’s forehead.</p>
<p>Looking down, Gray sighed as he let his eyes slip closed, clinging to his lover desperately. The rules were dragging him down slowly, because he wanted to give Jellal the world, but he knew that his efforts would be rejected.</p>
<p>Because Jellal 'didn’t deserve it’.</p>
<p>Except he did.</p>
<p>He did deserve love and forgiveness and Gray. And it was slowly killing the ice mage, that he couldn’t show Jellal this.</p>
<p>Sleep eventually won over, but he never moved away from the heavenly body mage, needing the affection that their situation offered, despite the limitations, with the need of a starving wolf.</p>
<p>Jellal’s eyes slid open, and he looked at Gray’s bowed head. Sighing, he pulled the younger closer and closed his eyes to sleep once more.</p>
<p>“I’m sorry, I do too.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Gray x Jellal - Melody</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“melodies come from demons and fallen angels.”</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Gray had always been a genius when it came to music, as if the guitar or microphone was another extension of himself, like magic was, except this magic couldn’t be seen, only felt and heard. He created songs and weaved tales without ever saying a word. His face would grow slack and peaceful, as if he was dreaming, whilst he hummed and played whatever melody came to his mind. The rare times when his eyes would be open, they would be glazed over with content that Gray so rarely seemed to feel.</p>
<p>His music was nothing short of magic, and Jellal would forever be grateful to be blessed with experiencing it as he created masterpiece after simple song. He had no idea what went on in the younger’s head, or how that translated into beautiful lyrics that transcended the beauty of his ice, he had always thought that Gray was plagued with demons in his mind, but as they travelled through his heart to his fingers, he made them sound like angels. Maybe those demons were the cause of his music, maybe it was an outlet so that they would appear less intimidating.</p>
<p>Jellal’s quiet boyfriend rarely spoke his mind verbally, and the bluenette couldn’t help but let his breath be taken away, as he realised that Gray had been speaking all along, he just hadn’t heard. Through his art, through his touches and glances, through his music. And in that moment, Jellal was convinced that Gray could be mute, and his voice would be just as loud as it is now.</p>
<p>“You’re incredible, you know that?” His voice disrupted the other’s silence, causing the winding melody to come to an abrupt stop as greying, cobalt eyes came to meet his in shock. He had barely even been aware that he had said anything, but when it finally registered, he just let it be. Smiling warmly at the raven, he waited for him to realise that he was telling the truth.</p>
<p>Seeming as if he came to a decision, he shook his head with a quiet chuckle and moved as if to continue playing, when a quiet voice responded.</p>
<p>“Well you’re my inspiration, so I guess you’re the incredible one.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Chelia + Wings</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Pink hair twirled, limp against the harsh wind that swept over the hilltop in a fashion that should make her chilly, but had no outward effect on her, as the cold within was more potent than the wind could ever bring. Though, I suppose that it wasn’t completely ineffective, as it made her feel even worse. With her arms wrapped tightly around her stomach, trying to press away the sick feeling within her, as her fluffy coat did little to stop the lowered temperatures reaching her colder skin. Gazing over the town that she called her home, only calm sadness hung in the air, leaving her a tiny, insignificant figure that once helped protect this town. Her eyes were haunted with tears that she no longer had the energy to shed, as she her arms tightened steadfastly around herself, trying to make up for the chasm in her heart.</p>
<p>Where her magic should be.</p>
<p>She could effortlessly remember the years of her life when that chasm was none existent, when magic powerful enough to shake the Gods, dripping with potential swam where there was now a void. She could remember dancing around job sites, with sky magic becoming an extension of herself and crashing down in a flurry of flowing, blackened feathers. Her magic had so much potential, and she thought it was beautiful, as she had trained to bring havoc upon the world and protect those who lived within her heart. A part of her couldn’t believe that it was really gone, even though there wasn’t a waking moment when she wasn’t aware of the frigid cold that now resided within her.</p>
<p>The wind battered against her back, threatening to send her tumbling down the hill, but it was just soft enough that she could still resist it, even in her numb state. Bowing her head, she screwed her mouth shut as her eyes filled with ghost tears that her heart still cried even when she didn’t have the hydration to cry physically. The wind, her element, it had always been comforting to her, but it hurt so much to still be surrounded by it when she could no longer touch it with the darkest parts of her soul. She had never felt more alone and isolated than she did, standing with her entire life swirling around her, but never quite able to bridge the gap.</p>
<p>She could still remember when she had touched her magic for the first time, when it was a formless mass with no method to its madness, no control to its chaos. It had been scary at first, but it was a part of her and as she grew to love it and work with it, it became her closest friend and loyalist partner. It had given her hope that she could touch the sky, go even further, soar through the heavens and dance with the angels. She could still remember how the blackened feathers scared her guild when she first joined, with their brimming power and potential at the fingertips of a tiny 6 year old girl, with the entire sky within her eyes, she remembers laughing and revelling in the respect that her magic had earnt her. And she remembers earning that respect in her own way, when she could finally let go of her precious vale of feathers, stand on her own and still touch the clouds. She remembers the weightlessness of her own confidence lifting her further and allowing her to see a wider horizon than she had ever dreamed of.</p>
<p>And though, yes, she had chosen to let it go, and she didn’t regret saving Wendy and Carla’s lives, her grief was too potent to ignore. It was there, expanding the gaping canyon of missing magic and hope, it clawed at her soul and swallowed her hope, leaving her a shell of who she once was, a single feather carried away with the wind, with no power or influence, just a fragility that could once soar but was now simply a lost, forgotten softness.</p>
<p>And her heart cried forevermore for the child that could slay Gods and her untimely disappearance.</p>
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<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Gray x Jellal - Nose Kissing</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Amusement danced across the ice mage’s face, as he rested his chin in his palm. Every feature in him was perfectly set into a look of adoration, as he watched his boyfriend ramble on about something or other. Gray wasn’t really listening. He was too caught up in watching the emotions and thoughts flickering across Jellal’s face, with a complexity he found entirely fascinating. </p>
<p>A chuckle ran through him, as the heavenly body mage finally caught onto the fact that he wasn’t listening, and when a pout followed, Gray couldn’t see anything more fitting than to lean across the table and press his lips ever so gently to the perfect peak of Jellal’s nose. The warmth and bright red of his boyfriend’s cheek was worth every pout. Actually, no, every part of Jellal was worth it. There was nothing else Gray needed in life quite as much as he needed the little pocket of the universe that he somehow had the pleasure of calling his.</p>
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<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Gray x Natsu - Rain</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Gray wasn’t sure what the rain meant to him any more, what with one side encapsulating Ur’s existence and the other plagued with the memories and fears that Juvia put in him. He stared into it solemnly, as if searching for the answer, but he came up with nothing. Sighing, his head dropped to his hands, trying to block out the methodical white noise of the pitter patter, trying to focus on anything but.</p>
<p>“Don’t do that to yourself…” A low, knowing voice whispered, as Natsu watched him crying to his reflection.</p>
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<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Rogue x Yukino - Soft</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Most would never associate a word such as ‘soft’ with the likes of Rogue, his appearance suggested anything but. However, the soul that could be seen through his eyes was Yukino’s definition of the word. Soft was in the way Rogue looked at Frosch, or in the way he helped Sting when he overworked himself. Gentle was in the way that he helped raise other guild members up, and in the way his fingers tapped when a song was stuck in his head. Kind was in the way that he accepted and helped Minerva back into the ranks of the guild, but also in the way that he loved the guild.</p>
<p>And love? Love was in the way that he looked at her and only her. And that same softness lit up her soul and made the world a little less dark.</p>
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<a name="section0018"><h2>18. Rogue x Sting - Heroic</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Hey, Rogue?” A quiet, wispy voice.</p>
<p>You hum in response and tighten your grip on his hand. Not tight enough to hurt him, but tight enough to feel the faint pulse beneath your fingertips.</p>
<p>“Next month... will you go with me to Stonewall Inn?” The voice requests, ever full of life and promise.</p>
<p>“I’ll follow you anywhere, you know that...” You whisper back, without the need to break the comfortable quiet morning.</p>
<p>“I want... I want to...” The voice trails off into a smile. You don’t have to look at his face to know it’s there, but you do, because that smile makes you feel like you’re 6 years old again and invincible.</p>
<p>“I know, Honey.” You promise, squeezing the hand again. “And we will.” You’ve had this conversation enough times, travelled to Manhattan enough times with this same goal in mind. “We’ll thank them for being so brave, and paving the way to a world where we don’t have to hide.”</p>
<p>And with that, gloss-covered lips meet yours and you melt into one, all over again.</p>
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<a name="section0019"><h2>20. Gray & Ultear - Monochrome</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Between them, there was never any colour.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Between them, there was never any colour. They both had scars and traumas that smothered any colour in their soul, and created a subtle, boring picture with a storm raging beneath. No one ever saw their colourful sides, only saw the grey, grey, grey clouds that tasted like depression. They were stuck behind a fog of pain that kept them from shining in the world's gaze, and neither could wholeheartedly say that being hidden was a bad thing, because it was something they were so used to.</p><p>For upwards of a decade now, they had been held under the tears of their past, drowning slowly until one day they would finally let go and they joined their mother at the water's edge. Neither knew why they held on, they just did, as if there was some fruit that life had yet to offer that they were waiting on. They held on, only to bleed and cry some more, before and after they met and let go of the hatred and distance. Though, yes, it was alleviating to know that there was someone out there who almost understood what the pain of losing someone twice, thrice felt like.</p><p>Together, they began to fight against the current, living for nothing but fighting so they wouldn't lose that much more. Neither one was perfect, and neither knew what life really meant after it's discolouration however many broken hearts ago.</p><p>They held hands and fought against the darkness, the monochromatic world that had trapped the little, broken boy and the little, bruised girl somewhere inside of their poisoned hearts. Until she let go and for the first time in either of their memories, the world was glowing with colour and life. They only had a moment, as their eyes met and she finally won against the current. She glowed with an iridescence that neither could fully understand or dream of or comprehend. It was so bright and powerful and accepting. The crimsons and turquoises and golds chased away the pewter and slate, leaving a rainbow that she had been encircled by, but he had fallen short of.</p><p>He cried for her. She left but she was happy. He also cried for himself and his own loneliness, wondering whether that colour was something that he, with his pun of a name, could ever grasp. Or was he even more broken than he had known? </p><p>She was happy and safe, he was still fighting, and yet she still held out her hand to him. His world was still grey and hers was now breathing, living. His fight wasn't over, but hers was. That didn't stop his pain and it didn't offer hope, it just enhanced his darkness. But then she reached out and shone a light, a for a heartbeat, his world, too was bright and happy. It was... something that he wasn't meant to touch, but here he was, at the mercy of a demon.</p><p>Shining.</p>
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